


Strange Concoctions

by RedlaSunShowers029



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Eremin - Freeform, Fluff, I don't know what else to tag this as, M/M, Macro/Micro, Minor Illness, Pred!Eren, Prey!Armin, Shrinking, Vore, another really old fic, clean vore, safe vore, there's a little angst, willing vore
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-06-26
Updated: 2014-07-03
Packaged: 2019-08-21 04:38:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 12,674
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16569797
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RedlaSunShowers029/pseuds/RedlaSunShowers029
Summary: Armin desires nothing more than to show he's capable of fending off the Titans. What better way to stand his ground than become a shifter? However, something about the injection is... Off, to say the least, and it may take some uncomfortable events to return him to his normal stature.





	1. Not As Weak As You Think

**Author's Note:**

> Another incredibly old writing-for-art trade; this one was immensely popular on my DA so I figured I'd upload it here as well.

"Are you sure you're ready for this?" Hanji asked, putting a drop of a purplish liquid on a needle.  "Quite certain. This is the right injection that allows people to be Titan shifters, right?"  
"Indeed it is. But why do you want to be a shifter so badly?"  
The question crashed down on the willing test subject. He knew the answer all too well: "I-I thought that maybe then I could be more able to fight back against the titans... And not feel as much like the underdog." Hanji took a second to consider this reason. "You never have been an underdog the entire time you've been in the Survey Corps, Armin. But if this is really what you want..."

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

The day was a rather quiet one- one of the few days the soldiers who had graduated from the 104th had off, and everyone was enjoying it- everyone except Eren. It had been hours since the last time anyone had seen Armin, and the brunette was getting worried. "Hanji, do you know where Armin is? I can't find him anywhere!" He asked, hoping at least someone in theSurvey Corps knew of his whereabouts. "Have you checked the library yet?" she responded in her typical, cheerful manner. "That's where I saw him last. I'm pretty sure he was looking for you." Now Eren felt like he was an idiot- why didn't he check there earlier? "Thanks, Hanji. I'll go ahead and check."

Now, the library wasn't exactly full-sized or anything, but it was built right off of the tactic discussion room that the squad leaders often used. The other members weren't typically allowed to wander around the somewhat spacious building, which a handful of them, including Armin, responded to with reluctant aquiesence. So on a day like this, while it was open for them to explore, those soldiers took advantage of it the best they could- mostly just taking a few books to return later. But Armin, on the other hand, was more likely to spend most of the day there. For some reason or another, this had not occurred to Eren. 

He opened the door to the library and looked inside: no body was there, from all he could tell. Eren wandered the halls for a while, searching for his childhood friend in the most obvious places. He wasn't over in any of the chairs, nor between the shelves. In the most expected area, and the last place left to look, which was devoid of the blonde. Defeated, Eren slumped down in a chair next to a pile of books sitting on a table. 

It was at that moment that he heard the voice of the cadet: "Eren! Eren!" he called out, seeming a little panicked. The voice was surely yards away, and probably not even in the building by the amount of the sound wave that entered Eren's eardrums. Maybe he could pinpoint his friend's location- he listened again for him. "Eren, I'm over here!" It was definitely Armin, but where could he reside? "W-where?" Eren stuttered, not exactly sure how to respond. "Look down to your left." Armin responded, and Eren could make out a very small bit of scrabbling. _What an odd request, why would I do that? It's not like I'm going to look down an-!!!!_

For the moment Eren obeyed his request, he was looking down, wide-eyed and perplexed, at the young soldier, a few inches tall, sitting on top of a red book. This couldn't possibly be real- he was imagining things, right? He rubbed his eyes, just to make sure he wasn't seeing things, but no- Armin was still present. 

"Armin, h-how..." Armin sighed. "I wanted to be able to become a Titan-shifter, like you, so that I could possibly be a bit less vulnerable and you and Mikasa didn't always have to come rescue my weak ass." he responded, looking down in guilt. "I asked Hanji to give me the injection, but... apparently it wasn't the right one, and did the exact opposite of what I wanted it to." Eren kep a close eye on Armin, still completely dumbfounded. He was curious how he had gotten to this point, but also holding back laughter. "Well, when and where did you test it out, and how did you get to the library from there?" Eren asked, putting his left hand on the table and getting a closer look at his friend. 

Armin backed away a little, looksomewhat terrified. "Sorry, but could you go back to where you were? I'm a little uneasy with you leaning over me like that." Eren caught himself and vacated that spot. 

"Well, I tested it over by Hanji's lab with her supervision, but then, when I bit myself, expecting to turn into a Titan, I kind of... shrunk instead. It was really scary at first, and I was sure she was going to run some tests, but she said it could be too risky. Then she... scooped me up in her hand and took me to the library, and went to go get you." Eren gently ran a finger over Armin's back, making him shudder a little bit upon contact. "You've never been anything less than amazing!" Eren chuckled. "You just don't give yourself enough credit. You've done some things that an ordinary person would never dream of trying. Do you seriously think an average person would stand in front of a wall of soldiers holding blades and guns directed right at them, threatening to blow them to bits, and yell facts at them until they listened? Without you, neither I nor Mikasa would still be alive. And I heard that you came up with a way for everyone to get gas when seven titans were roaming around inside. I followed you when I first discovered that I could become a Titan, but you were the reason that was possible. And you're the one who figured out who were the traitors in our squad... Please credit yourself for those things." 

"I know that, but no matter what, I'm still not as physically strong as everyone else. I want to be able to-" Eren cut him off. "Armin, what does it matter how many titans you can kill if you don't have strategies and people to make those strategies? If we don't know anything about the bastards, then we can't well fight them. Stop beating yourself up about this. In any case, you're not as weak as you think you are. I'm sure that someday, you'll realize it, and use it to your advantage, just like your intellect." 

"I doubt it. Even still, I can't so much good like this." Armin replied gloomily, looking down at the mark on his hand from his self-inflicted injury. "How do you even injure yourself like that all the time? It hurts like hell!" 

"Typically, it hurts for only a second, because then the transformation morphs the pain into my Titan form. But the couple of time that I couldn't transform... Those were a problem. I'm really sorry this happened to you. 

"I'm not sure exactly what to do, though- you're not a Titan, so it's not like anyone can get you out of this in that particular way. And, by what you've told me, it sounds like this is a completely different injection that no one knows how much time it takes to wear off.. If it does wear off. But for now, how are you going to get around?" Eren asked, setting his hand, palm up, on the table beside his shrunken friend. 

He waited for a second for Armin to register his thoughts and climb into his palm. Then, Eren unfastened the button of his left pocket, and held his hand right up to his face so he could see Armin better. He could tell that the major size difference made the young strategist rather uneasy, but not so much to impair his judgement of the situation. He kept his distance from Eren's face, and after a minute or two, looked more curious than wary. "Does this bother you?" Eren asked in a tone meant to be soft enough for only him to hear. Armin shook his head. "To be honest, it's not ideal, but I know that I can rely on you to keep me from harm until this is over." Armin responded,  tapping Eren's forefinger. 

"Well then, are you okay with staying in my pocket for the time being?" Eren asked, slowly sliding him in. "I'm sorry,  it I'm out of ideas. You're typically much better at that." he added in a more teasing, playful tone. "But I won't let anything harm you. Ever. Just bear with me and I'll find out how I can get out of this. In the meantime, would you like to read something together?" 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

After a long day of Eren reading stories to his best friend, he returned back to meet up with the rest of the squad. He opened up his pocket a little bit more, and reached inside to gently stroke Armin for reassurance. He jumped as the massive finger first ran down his back, but then settled down, allowing Eren to massage his back. Maybe he had over exaggerated it all, and he could remain tiny like this forever. At the moment, it didn't seem so bad. But deep in his heart, he knew that it would not last, and sometime or another he could be crushed or maimed by one of his unsuspecting or misunderstanding commerades. The very thought made him shudder. He knew he shouldn't be thinking of anything like that at the moment, because for now, he was safe and cared for by none other than his best friend.

During the day's events, he also noticed something strange; from Eren's prompt and loyal entry to every way he thought about and helped lessen the problematic issue of the accident, Armin found himself having a deep admiration for the brunette. He made sure to take great care of him, and keep him content and feeling safe. He had also enjoyed being read to by Eren- not simply the thought that counted, but he felt Eren had a wonderful reading voice; clear, calm, and full of emotion. He could nail the characters just as the little soldier imagined them, and they felt alive to him like never before. He hoped that he would get to hear Eren's lovely reading voice again. If he wasn't back to normal by tomorrow, then perhaps he would be able to, before they set out into the world to fight, together from that day on. 

Though, if he were honest with himself, he more than admired Eren, but loved him deeply. Even if he wouldn't admit it for some time, he had a small crush on him. After all, who else cared so much for his well being than his closest and most dear companion? Armin turned around and rubbed the index finger as a sort of thanks, and thought he heard Eren happily sigh in response. 

Once they got back to their sleeping quarters, Eren have to figure out that he would do with his buddy for the night, where he wouldn't crush him in his sleep. After a little while of searching for spots, he eventually put his jacket higher up on the pillow in order for him to be safe. "We'll check with Hanji to see if she's found an antidote for your size before you get into a predicament in the morning." Eren mumbled as he drifted off to sleep. 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Right in the morning when he got up, Eren put on his jacket and went to Hanji's room. She was already awake, bustling about with notes and had a few syringes sitting upon her desk. A couple of them were Titan-related, but the rest were nothing Eren recognized. Hanji looked up for a second, her glasses rimmed with sunlight from outside dancing on the lenses. She looked exhausted, but still her typical, cheerful self. "I take it you found Armin?" she asked. Eren nodded. "Thank you, squad leader. I did indeed. I'm not sure what happened the day before, but I saw that he... shrunk quite a bit. Is there, by any chance, any way to get rid of it?" 

Hanji froze for a second, thinking of exactly what to say. "There is a way that I just discovered, but he may be better off how he is." she responded, her eyebrows furrowed with worry. "How so?" Eren asked, having a terrible feeling that it involved great torture. He could feel Armin awakening in his pocket, confused and anxious. "I've only just started on the research of the injection, but so far, I've noticed that it is invulnerable to most things, except for particular liquids. It has to be the right chemical to come off smoothly to be done. Although the only chemical that seemed to do as such is... A mixture of stomach acid and mucus." 

By this time, Eren felt terribly ill, hoping he had misinterpreted or misheard what Hanji had confirmed. He was sure he'd rather die than do what that meant. The devoted soldier reached in and took his fearful friend out and held him near his chest, waiting, hoping for Hanji to say that she had miscalculated something or said the wrong thing. Instead, she looked at his horrified expression and replied. "I'm sorry, Eren, but I haven't found anything yet. But there is one good bit of news: when in contact with the Titan shifting formula, it prevents the other one from harm. I tested it out with shrinking some plums and putting them in the mixture with the other injection." 

Eren felt a little bit better upon hearing this, but still disgusted and scared that it was the only way. "So, in other words, in order for Armin to be his normal size again, I have to..." Eren gulped. "I have to eat him?!" Hanji sighed. "I'm afraid so. I haven't found anything else at all, nor do I think I will." 

Armin sat bolt upright in Eren's right hand. "What?!" he almost screamed, but was too panicked to make much noise. "T-that can't really be what you're saying!" Eren gasped. "There's another way, it just hasn't been found! Right?" He asked, tightening his grip on Armin, unwilling to take any risks in harming him. "I don't actually think there is another way, Eren, or I would've found it by now. I was certain that was the Titan shifter formula, and I've been working with it for almost a year now. I had a drop or two of it that I attempted to copy, but that clearly went wrong.  I should've found out if there was a secondary antidote by now. I'm terribly sorry." 

Eren grimaced, giving up hope that it wasn't the truth. "It's really up to Armin. I'll check with him. Could I have an hour or two before going out to fight the Titans?" he asked. "You can be off for the day. Go ahead and make your choice. If you do decide its worth it, you need to keep him in your stomach for about two hours, and he should be back to normal by the time you spit him out. I'm sorry that it isn't an easy choice to make."

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Eren went back to their corridors, feeling sicker than ever. Of all the things that could've been said, that was the one he found most repulsive and inhumane. He would've rather have had to stick Armin with a needle than to eat him alive. Even still, he felt that, since it was Armin who was going to be stuck remaining three inches tall otherwise, he found it fair to give him the final call on the situation. He could barely look at his friend now, worrying about accidentally giving him more to fear. 

The cadet slowly opened his hand, looking down at Armin. He could feel the constant vibration in his hand of Armin's shivering as he looked up at his seemingly enormous friend. "It's your choice. Are you willing to go through with this? Or would you rather play it safe and remain small forever?" Armin seemed at a complete loss for a moment or two, until he fell to his knees, his fists and teeth clenched, and cried out, "I'll do it! I'll do it! But please... be careful!" Eren felt his heart practically stoped at these words. The fear was not new- both of them knew how terrifying sliding down a Titan's throat felt. It was definitely not a feeling you ever wanted to feel again, and Eren felt worse inflicting it on someone else, especially someone so special to him. 

"Why has it come to this?" Eren moaned, throwing his head back against the pillow of his bed. "Of all the things that could've been the antidote- this, of all things! The very thing we're trying to prevent Titans from doing to other people!" He was beyond upset, and found the whole situation completely unethical. He felt Armin crawling out of his palm and further up to where he could be heard better. "I-I'm sorry, I just... don't really want to be this size forever... I understand that it's... not easy for either of us..." 

"I'll do it for you," Eren replied, sitting back up, "but I hope I never have to eat a living person ever again. This is surely going to be the worst experience of my life, but it's not fair for you to have to remain like this for the rest of your life just because I can't handle it." He moved his arm so that the blonde went back into his hand, where he could keep better track of him. Then he held him up and moved his hand over to the left side of his chest. "I want to make sure you're going to be okay with this before I try anything." Eren responded, half hoping Armin would back down, and half hoping to simply get this over with so that Armin could live a normal life again. 

His stomach growled a little bit, making Armin jump and moved away. It was true that, since he had gone straight to Hanji, he hadn't had anything to eat that day, and he was quite hungry. But would he really full-heartedly agree to subjecting such torture on him? "Are you still okay with this?" Eren asked. He knew quite well that to truly think it out, they would both need more time- more time than a single day could begin to offer. Eren waited a moment, before he saw Armin gulp and nod. "Yes. Let's get this over with." he choked weakly. 

Eren lifted him up to his mouth, pausing to make sure that Armin wasn't having a heart attack or anything of the sort. He put his left hand on the tip of Eren's nose, trying to smile, but was so worried that it looked more pained than anything else. "I trust you." he squeaked. The longer he held up the inevitable, the more Eren could sense the terror in his beloved friend's heart, and the guiltiest he felt. He had no intention to rush it, and wished that it would end, and he'd wake up to find that it had all been a dream, but already knew it wasn't. 

Eren squeezed his eyes tightly and let his tongue slip out of his mouth. He pinched the collar of Armin's jacket and brought him closer to his tongue, and gave Armin a slow lick upwards, who gave a few disgusted, terrified whimpers in response to the saliva seeped into his clothing. Eren now registered his companion's taste, and couldn't help but drool a little; he tasted like honey and sugar, but at the same time seemed to have a richer, more savory flavor. If he had forgotten who he was eating, he would've probably already swallowed rather quickly. But once he opened his eyes, he regained control and got back to what needed to be done. 

"I can't believe it- Hanji actually had a few drops of the formula and she gave you the defective one?! Honest to god." Eren mumbled, trying to get Armin's mind off of it more than to actually have a conversation. "S-she might have needed those for tests. I don't blame her, b-but..." Eren tapped him with a finger in an attempt to calm him as much as possible. "Hey- we'll get you  through this. You're going to be fine. Just promise me you won't do anything do foolish in the future. Being a Titan shifter is far harder than you think. And if you lose the ability or can't focus hard enough on a goal,  then there will be plenty of people to take advantage of it and use it against you. You are perfect... just the way you are. And being a shifter isn't the answer to any of your problems anyways." Eren replied, sticking out his tongue and sliding Armin headfirst onto it, then drawing it back into his mouth. 

If he had been less wary, then Armin's curiosity would've taken over and he would have soon forgotten his fear. The only thing was that he knew all too well what would happen if either of them messed up. In that moment, he understood why it had to be Eren to do this to him; there was a certain trust that needed to be there for the other- a trust that Eren would sooner cut himself open than let him die. In its own way, this made him feel a little better, but it still wasn't a fun situation to be in. 

For the few moments he was going to be inside Eren's maw, which seemed gigantic to him, he decided that the best thing to do would be to take a look at his surroundings. Eren's teeth, all lined up and curved in a sort of bow shape on both the top and bottom of his jaw, opened a small bit to let in light. The roof of his mouth, ridged in places, dripped with slimy, clear saliva that rained down on Armin and stuck to him. Eren tried to flatten out his tongue, but it wouldn't stop curling around his bite-sized friend, hungering for more and more of his delictable taste. And the more Armin squirmed to get away from it, the tighter it got. After a second or two of this, Eren reached in and placed his left index finger on the tip to give Armin, who was still trembling, a break for a minute. 

It was impossible to stand without slipping on the slimy muscle, so he sat down, facing backwards, and seeing where he would inevitably go quite soon afterwards. Eren's uvula dangled and swayed playfully over his throat, which even from a distance Armin could see was lined with very powerful muscles that would force him down with a single swallow. He could feel Eren's breath blowing at him from both the back and the front, in through his mouth and out from his trachea. It still startled him to hear the growling and moaning of his gut somewhere deep within his chest, waiting for him to enter it. No matter how much he trusted Eren or how safe he would remain, it still terrified him to be trapped in such a place. 

Eren's tongue lifted up, forcing Armin backwards into the waiting esophogas. He had to fight every single one of his instincts not to claw his way back up as he felt the muscles sucking him in, refusing to let go. He heard the deafening sound of the swallow in every direction around him as the saliva followed him down, making it too slippery even to try to get back up, even if he were facing the right way. About halfway down the throat he forgot what was going on in horror, and dug his hands into the flesh, trying to stop himself from sliding down any further, grunting with the difficult task that would certainly fail. 

Up until that point, Eren could feel Armin sliding down, following him down to the back of his throat, until he tried to fight back. Surprised and confused, he felt the spot where he was trying to hold on, and felt a great fear of his own. "Armin, it's alright." Eren barely managed to say. 

Inside, Armin could hear the quickened, pounding heartbeat near him, and hearing the brunette reassurrance calmed him down, and he let go, allowing himself to be pulled down to the sphincter of the stomach, free falling for a minute until landing in the organ with a splash.

He coughed and spluttered and tried to wipe off the saliva on his limbs, but only resulted in smearing it all over his face. He had landed in a puddle of a yellowish-green liquid- stomach acid, he thought with dread- that submerged the lower part of Eren's gut. There wasn't much, since most of the acid forms in response to food, and he hoped that he wouldn't be thought of or identified as such by it. His surroundings caved in a little bit suddenly, and he heard Eren's panicked voice echoing within. "Armin? Armin?! Are you alright?!" He splashed over with difficulty and rubbed the muscular flesh up and down where he could feel Eren's hand. "I-I think so? Right now, at least." 

Eren sighed in relief, keeping his hand on his stomach, patting it to show that he was still present. He hated the fact that he had found Armin delicious, and, in different circumstances, wished that he could have that taste again, but without having to go to such extremes. Though despite the situation, Eren was curious about what Armin could be experiencing at that moment all the while. 

The interior of his stomach was nearly pitch black, completely soaked with the protective layer of mucus that protected it from digesting itself, and that, too, dripped off of the walls. Inside, the various contented gurgles and groans, and hungry growls seemed far more immense and intimidating than ever before. He could hear Eren swallowing multiple times, and realized as it reached him that he was gulping down air so he didn't suffocate. He remained by the elastic stomach wall closest to the outside of his friend, allowing himself to sink into it, holding on to the flesh to try to get ahold of his own panic. 

If it hadn't been so heavily laden with the liquid and there was no possible way for him to get hurt, Armin would've found it quite comfortable. But now, confined in this fleshy, organic prison, without even knowing if he would live much longer, he was forcing back the tears that were slowly forming in his eyes, shuddering and making small, fearful whimpers. 

Eren could hear Armin perfectly well, and could tell that he was utterly terrified, but not hurt physically. It made him want to vomit, just so that he could end this horrible task. Surely no one deserved that, right? Of course. He now had some faith in Hanji's experiments, since Armin wasn't being digested, so at least there was that. But he needed something to distract the both of them.

Yesterday, he could tel that the day had been rather relaxing for both of them, as he saw Armin listening intently and calmly in his grasp, which gave him an idea. He got up and took the nearest book as he could find from another person's bed- it was a book neither of them had ever heard before, so it would be more interesting that way. He examined the from of the book: it had an evening sky and a boat on a stream, titled Tuck Everlasting. Eren flipped to the first page as he got back to his own bunk, and began reading. 

As he heard Eren's voice yet again, this time in the calm, confident way he had used to narrate the stories like the day before, Armin couldn't help but be hypnotized by it for a second time. Due to his location, it rang around him, becoming the only sound he heard. It was clear that Eren was trying to take both their minds off of the present situation, and Armin was greatful for that. Combined with the gentle beating of the massive heart somewhere above, and the calm breaths in and out, he realized that it was actually quite soothing. During that portion of time, even the sloshing of the acid seemed relaxing, and he knew that it couldn't hurt him at all. Hanji was right. He now knew that he would end up being just fine in the end. 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Eren closed the book after the first few chapters when Hanji came into their quarters, and put a hand to his stomach again. He could feel that Armin had gotten some courage and was moving around to examine his surroundings better, now that he felt more secure, and was rubbing his stomach from the inside, which felt wonderful, though Eren barely believed himself about thinking such thoughts. In his own way, he was certain that it was Armin's way of thanking him for his help and loyalty. 

"I'm just checking in to see how you are, Eren. What did you decide?" she asked, pushing her glasses up further onto her face. Eren glanced down at his abdomen and gave it a small rub. "Armin decided it was worth it. I didn't want to say anything, but I think we both knew something terrible would happen to him if he remained his current size. It was... absolutely terrifying devouring a living, breathing person, and hope I never have to do it again. The whole time I thought something was going to go wrong." Eren replied, shuddering. This much was true, but he left out any details of the limited things he enjoyed about it. "I suppose... I'm okay now, though. Is it time for me to spit him out?" Hanji calculated the time in her head for a second. "You've got about half an hour." she responded. "Come get me if you need anything." she said, before closing the door and leaving them alone. 

"Are you still doing okay, Armin?" Eren inquired, pleased that he couldn't pick up any concern that was or wasn't present between them. He got his response with a small sigh that sounded more secure and surprisingly relaxed. 

Armin had though it better to stop then, because if Eren knew it or not, he could tell that the Titan shifter enjoyed being massaged from the inside. He wouldn't exactly say he enjoyed being swallowed, but it wasn't as terrible as he had first expected, either. "I'm fine right now- it's not something I ever want to repeat again, though." he responded, sitting back down in the center of Eren's gut. "Agreed." Eren responded, though it was obvious he was holding back a couple of his thoughts. "Eren?" Armin asked teasingly. "Is that all?" 

"What are you looking for me to say?" Eren spluttered, realizing that Armin was onto him. "Tell me what you're really thinking." Armin replied. Eren made a noise in his throat that sounded like he was still trying to hold back. "Fine." Eren responded reluctantly. "I'm not saying I want to do this again, but... you taste pretty good and it felt nice to have you rubbing my stomach like that. But I swear it was vile knowing I had to eat you like a Titan." he confessed. "I'm really sorry, I hate myself for that, but..." 

"It's okay." Armin said, cutting him off, mostly because he didn't want Eren to be angry with himself but also because he had heard enough. "I... kind of suspected that." he finished. "I'm sorry I... Got us into this mess." He could still sense Eren's hand on his stomach, trying to reassure him. "It's alright. You don't need to apologize again. You're okay. If anyone is to blame, it's me. Most of the time, it's my fault if anyone gets hurt. And this wasn't as bad as we thought, right?" 

"I guess not." Armin replied, sinking into the interior walls again, this time feeling much more relieved. "I promise I won't try to fix my weaknesses naively again." Eren chuckled. "You're not weak. You are very brave. A normal soldier wouldn't throw themselves so trustingly into the jaws of another being- best friend or not. I admire your courageous decision today, and I hope you know that." Armin blushed. "I-I've still got a ways to go... before I'm strong like everyone else." Eren could tell that Armin wasn't believing him, and that disappointed him, but he could also tell that his friend was flattered. "And you're so intelligent and sweet- just listening to you talk lets me learn so many new things. You're always there for me." Armin blushed harder, completely at a loss for words. Eren continued, knowing that he had somehow gotten through to him. "And I wish that you'd see it yourself. You'll never know how wonderful you are in my eyes. I want to make sure you know that if you didn't already. And I won't let anything happen to you." 

Armin snuggled into the inner lining of Eren's belly. "Thank you, Eren, for everything you've done for me." he responded, listening to the beating of the boy's heart until he almost fell asleep. 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

During the remainder of the time, the two mostly just rested, calming themselves down from the terror that had quickened their heartbeats and filled them with insecurity to the brim. And by the time Eren spit him out, pretty much within contact of solid ground, Armin grew back to his normal size. He took a moment to realize it, then hugged Eren. "Thank you." he cried happily, grateful for having such a loyal companion. "I would surely be dead in no time if it weren't for you." Eren wiped away the slime on his face and kissed him on the cheek. "I'm always glad to help an amazing friend like you."


	2. Won't Let You Die

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After a dangerous illness spreads to the Titan Shifters, Armin has to return to his minuscule size to save Eren from whatever ails him.
> 
> [WARNING: there is a mild bit with implied digestion, but it is NONFATAL and doesn't cause any injury.]

"So, Armin, where have you been? I didn't see you or Eren while we were out beyond the walls." Sasha asked, becoming very surprised when the blonde dropped his spoon. Both Armin and Eren exchanged stunned, somewhat horrified glances before Eren shook his head to cue Armin not to say anything. Just as he and a few others had vowed to keep Eren's Titan shifting ability a secret for as long as possible, the mistake with the injections would be the same for the two boys and Hanji. Besides, if he said that Eren had swallowed him, who would believe him? "I just got a little lost, and eventually Eren found me." he lied, thinking that this was a more reasonable way to phrase it. "You must've both encountered something pretty awful, by how you're acting. Well, I won't ask anything more about it. I'm sorry that happened, whatever it was." Sasha replied, shoving half of her loaf of bread into her mouth, but still seeming concerned for them. 

They felt guilty about keeping it from her, but the smaller the number of people who knew about it, the better. Then perhaps they wouldn't have to see the side effect of the injection being... removed if need be. Even if it hadn't been as bad as either of them expected and ended up being not mentally scarred completely, they both hoped it would never have to happen again. It was still awful just the same, because of the fear of something going wrong and the unfairness of it all. 

Sometime, they might allow the squad in on it, in case anything happened in an expedition. If it was still there, then it would be likely they would. If it wasn't, though, then no one had to know. At the moment, they would try to focus on something else. But the moment of peace would not last.

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It had been about a week since the incident, when this time, Armin didn't see Eren anywhere when he went to sit with his friends at breakfast. Had the same thing happened to Eren? The thought of the short-tempered boy being stuck that size for very long and having to be carried around made him giggle a little. Or perhaps it would counterbalance and he would be a normal human again, which would be bad since they still didn't have the right injection. He hoped it wasn't serious, yet, although he didn't want to think about it, he had a feeling of dread in his heart. 

He looked over to see Historia nibbling on a bit of a potato, then giving up and letting Sasha take it from her. She seemed deeply distraught about something, and wondered why he didn't see Ymir around, either. Somehow he felt that it was linked with Eren's disappearance. She looked right at him with a sort of sympathetic/empathetic look, as if to say "I know your pain right now." 

After a few minutes, and Armin had finished eating what he could, he saw her walk away, and went the other direction, and accidentally bumped into her, knocking her to the ground. "S-sorry!" Armin apologized quickly. "I didn't see you there." She got back up, brushed herself off, and sighed. "It's alright, you're probably worried sick, too." she responded. Her words fell hard on him. He had to know the answer to this. "What's happened?" 

"Ymir's deeply ill with an unknown sickness. She can't breathe well and keeps coughing a lot. I have a bad feeling that it's fatal, and that the cure won't be found anytime soon. Eren's got it, too, but no one else. I think it may be a Titan shifter's illness." she responded gloomily. "He's in the infirmry, if you're looking for him. That's where I'm headed." 

Armin thanked her and followed the blond haired girl to where both of their dear friends were. He watched her go over to Ymir, and saw that she was in terrible condition. She looked so much paler than before, and he could hear her ragged breaths. The Titan shifter was wincing, looking like she was in deep pain, and looked over only enough to see Historia come over to her and feed her some of her breakfast that the girl had saved for her. "Historia, why are you doing this...?"  The girl's baby blue eyes stared deeply into her chocolate-colored ones, and responded, "You need help to get better, and I want to make sure of that. Not to mention if I leave you alone I highly doubt you'd remember to take care of yourself." Historia scoffed as she put her hands on her hips. Ymir seemed somewhat better at her compainion's teasing words. "Just kiss me already." she said weakly, grabbing her by her blond hair and pulling the princess closer with what little strength she had left. 

Armin decided that he should leave the two alone, and saw that there was another room, and, not seeing Eren near Ymir, decided to check if he was in there. He was still a little worried about how Eren was, but he would do what he could when he saw his condition. He slowly opened it, worried about what he would see. 

Eren was twitching and muttering in his sleep, and even from a distance Armin  could see how beaten up he appeared. His  brown hair was messier than Armin had ever seen it, and his breathing was raspier and he kept inhaling like he was unable to keep the oxygen in his lungs for more than a second without suffocating. He was even more pale than Ymir, and grimaced, as if in pain. He could only catch a few of the words Eren was saying; "Kill... Damned sickness... Can't believe... Can't go on like this... Armin?" He rolled over right after saying it, his eyes closed tightly. "Armin?! I won't... Bastards! Die! Die!" Armin ran over to Eren's sickbed, reaching over and rubbing his hand. "Eren, wake up. I'm right here." Eren still didn't seem to believe him, and kept screaming. "I won't... Damn you! Stop it! Stop it! Regret this..." He started to get more severely worried for his friend's mental health, and just wanted it to end. He saw a glass of water on a small nightstand on the opposite side of the bed, went over to pick it up, and dumped it over Eren, who sat up quickly in bed, panting and drenched with both the water and his own sweat. 

Realizing that he was conscious, he rubbed his eyes and looked out at the room, taking a few moments to understand what had happened. "Armin?" he asked again, this time in a calmer tone. He could feel someone holding his hand and looked over to see him, who was a little bit red. "Are you alright, Eren?" Eren put his other hand to his forehead, trying to regain his thoughts. "Yeah. I think I just had a bad dream or something." he responded, his voice somewhat choked up. "Thanks, I'm fine now." 

He noticed a small trickle of drool in the corner of his mouth, and wiped it away. "I'm sorry I have to be in such bad condition. Why does it have to be now? This could be a long-lasting thing and we have another mission in three weeks! I want to be killing titans, not ending up stuck here!" Armin sighed. Well, at least Eren was his normal self. "I'm sure you'll be better by then." Armin responded, but remembering Historia's words, didn't quite believe it himself. He was deeply worried that Eren might not even make it by that time. If it was a shifter's disease, how long would it take them to figure out the cure? And how fatal was it? He promised himself he would look into it when he had the chance, but would distract Eren from it for now. "Has anyone else come to see you?" 

Eren rubbed the back of his head, then took a few locks and tried to squeeze out the water. "Mikasa was here an hour earlier. And Hanji came in to ask me about any symptoms- I think she's working to figure out what caused this. Other than that, most people didn't know about it. Ymir's fallen ill with the same thing, I think." He responded, seeming to regain a small portion of his voice. "I saw. I came down to see you after Historia went to see her. You both look terribly sick. Is there anything I can do to help?" Eren shook his head and laid down for a second. "Just don't pour water on me again." Eren teased. "You're fine. Don't worry about me. I can't possibly die like this. I haven't done enough to help humanity yet. But right now, I need to sleep." 

Eren curled over on his side and rested his head on his hand, still seeming in pain. But what else was there to do? Armin couldn't just make the pain go away without knowing anything about it. If Levi didn't make him clean something, he'd start on researching it. The first place to start was finding Hanji- she would have some idea, if she had made Eren list the symptoms. The best place to start was her office. 

He knocked on the door, and she opened it for her. She had the same concerned concentration on her face as a week ago when she had informed them that the size shifting formula could only be reversed with being eaten alive. In her right hand was a clipboard. Still, she tried to seem somewhat optimistic. "Hello, Armin, are you here on the concern of Eren's condition?" He nodded. "I was wondering if you needed help with anything." he answered, feeling responsible for discovering the cure, unwilling to lose Eren a second time. She motioned for him to come in, and as he stepped in he could see that Mikasa and Historia were there as well. 

Hanji closed the door, locking it firmly, then walked over to a table where the other two were sitting at. "Alright. I think I've come up with a solution that will drive out much of the Shifter Virus," she began, "but I have no idea how it should be transmitted. It will have no effect on them if it doesn't work, but will increase their strength and improve their conditions dramatically if it does. I used a few of the results from the information I've collected from the captured titans, as well as those from Eren himself. It seems to react best to another's body heat, though, and that's where I can't quite think of a way to make it work. Furthermore, I have no idea if it actually will fully cure it, but it is the closest thing I can think of. Do any of you have ideas?" 

They were all very confused, and Armin had a thought, but he wasn't so keen on it nor was it the best plan by his judgement. The last antidote had been quite similar in both copacity and chemical makeup. They could, then again, be completely different in some unknown way. But still, due to this, it made him think that...

"Can this possible cure... be ingested?" he asked, still not believing this idea. Hanji mulled it over. "I tested it on a couple of the titans, and they didn't seem to respond negatively to it. So I don't see why not. What are you thinking?" Armin gave himself a moment to get a grip on his plan, then responded "I was thinking that maybe... it's possible that it would be just like the other injection with responding internally, but it might have a more positive reaction to constant external body temperature and then it could work. I'm not nessicarily certain it would work as planned, or that it's the best solution, but it's all that I can come up with at the moment." 

Hanji nodded, and Armin hoped by the perplexity of Mikasa and Historia that neither of them understood. "That's a very dangerous idea. Both you and Eren could end up dead if it fails, but if it succeeds, it will surely be instant. Are you willing to take that risk, even if it means your life?" Armin gulped but nodded, deeply concerned about it. "I'll look more into this and make sure that this is realistic before then, but I believe so." 

"The three of you will each be given a little bit of the chemical to use with whatever solution you deem most likely to be affective. Use it wisely. I'll see you tomorrow to see what your final thoughts are. Good luck."

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Armin looked down at the notes he had requested to see from Hanji, and saw the results of each of the tests. The ill Titans seemed to not react to direct injection of the chemical, nor rubbing it on their skin. But the few where they swallowed it seemed to come out the best, and apparently healed a day later. _I was right. It actually does work well in that circumstance. I do not value my life so dearly as to let Eren die in such a way. I'll do it._

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The next day, all three of them returned with their proposals of transmitting it, and worked things out with Hanji. "Mikasa, it has to be me to give it to Eren. Otherwise, it won't be possible. On the other hand, though, I may need someone to keep lookout for me." Armin said to her, who seemed baffled. "I still don't really understand your plan here." Armin squirmed a little at this- he didn't really want to say that the truth was he didn't want her to. "You will, once this is over with." he responded, trying to hide his guilt. "I'm sorry I'm being so vague."

The most peculiar thing about it was how Armin was dressed. He was in the typical uniform, minus the harnesses. Strapped to a belt around his waist was a container of the chemical, and there was a device she had never seem before- a flashlight, was that what it was called?- and some rope. He also had a small knife in one hand, which was somewhat worrisome to her. "Weren't you planning to use it externally?" she questioned. Armin realized what she was confused about and put the knife down. "Oh, that? I'm not going to cut him open or anything- that's... just a precaution." Mikasa was still uncertain of his plan,  yet trusted him to make the right decision, and left it at that. Whatever it was, he didn't seem very happy about it. 

Hanji walked over to him. "Do you believe this plan will be successful?" she asked him. "I'm not sure. It sounds like it could, but it's always possible I missed a note or two... though by what I saw, it seems like it's the most likely thing to cure it. He replied, handing her the stack of papers. She briefly looked over them, and nodded. "You're right. They do show a more positive correlation between the subjects. I think this just might work. Of course, you'll still need someone assigned to help you if it fails. I could do it myself, but I was wondering if you'd prefer a friend to take up the task. Who would you prefer to aid you if needed?" 

"I would like it if... Mikasa would be able to," he responded, "but I can't really tell her, exactly. I'm not quite sure I have the heart to." Hanji nodded and whispered everything in her ear, from the discovery of the injection to the cure for it, and her interpretation of his plan to rid Eren of the disease. He watched her gray eyes begin to widen in confused horror, unable to believe him for sure. 

"I would like to be able to see this time, and I thought that I would try to remove the illness from the... inside. I promise I won't use the knife unless it is of upmost importance... I would just prefer to be armed this time, so I feel a little safer, and if it's something that needs to be taken out by force. I'd rather not have to actually use it, though." He turned to Hanji. "Eren hasn't eaten anything recently, has he? If he has, I'll have to wait. If possible, I'd really not like to be... digested." he replied, shuddering. 

"Armin, listen to me." Mikasa responded, putting a hand on his shoulder. He looked over at her calm, firmly-believing-in-something eyes. "This is suicide. You couldn't possibly make it out of his alive. As much as I trust your skill in strategizing, this isn't the best plan. Eren might not even live through the end of this, and you'll both be dead. Don't do it." 

"I've already looked at everything else that could possibly work, and this is the one that looks the most likely. I made sure to check thoroughly to see if there wasn't a better option, and there doesn't seem to be. Besides, I've survived this before, and I was thinking it would be likely that I could survive it again." Armin said in defense of the idea, still feeling miserable and his teeth clenched. "I wish there was another way, but right now  all that I can hope is at Eren understands."

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Armin walked in on his sleeping friend, who woke up shortly after he had closed the door. Eren inhaled deeply again, before sitting up and gazing at him with a weak expression that looked like it was trying to remain happy. In that tiny moment, Armin had completely abandoned his fears and only thought of the hard facts- he had to rescue Eren from the fate of the terrible virus, and that was that. "I believe I've found an antidote for your illness." Armin stated, seeing the hope in Eren's eyes. It broke his heart to see how happy Eren was, and how horrified he would be when he discovered what it was. "You have?! Oh, thank you so much! What is it?" 

Armin walked over to him, and the fierce determination in his crystal blue eyes showed nothing but sworn loyalty and only the slightest hint of worry. He held up the elixir in his left hand. "This is what Hanji said would likely cure it, if used correctly." he responded with a bravery that was uncommonly seen so strongly from him. Eren's green eyes lit up with joy. "Could I have some of it?" he asked, wondering why it was just being dangled over his head. "I was just getting to that." he responded, holding it up higher, and pouring it over his head. 

Eren watched in confusion as Armin reached down and took a knife off of his belt, then dug the blade into his thigh. The shifter's confusion turned to panic as he understood Armin's thoughts. Eren looked down at the floor, to see him the exact same size as before. Eren reached down, scooped him up, and put him on the pillow of the bed, which was now dry. "You can't possibly mean-" "This isn't easy for me, either. I hate this idea, but if it works, you live. Now please understand, Eren." he replied, keeping calm as he walked over to his friend's mouth. 

Eren quickly closed his mouth, his teeth slamming down on each other barely an inch from him. "I won't let you! You're not going to end up there again! That's torture for you, and you know it! So why are you so willing?!" he snarled, giving Armin such a glare that it made him back up a little bit in fear. He could see tears forming in the corner of his eyes, and knew that even this display hurt him on the inside. _He's trying to scare me into avoiding this, so that I don't get killed. I doubt I will, yet he's still not willing to take chances, just like a week ago. That time, something would happen to me if he didn't end up eating me. So what do I have to use this time to convince him now?_

"I'm not going to lose you again, Eren. You can't scare me off like that. Now either open your mouth or I'll find another way." Armin said firmly, feeling worse and worse with every second going by. "You'll die! I won't let you die in such a way!" Eren cried out, still struggling to keep his mouth clamped shut. "No, I won't. That's why I have this in case." he replied, holding up the knife, which had a little bit of his blood on it. He doubted he would actually eviserate Eren if it came to that, but he was hoping that then Eren would feel less fearful for his safety. 

"In any case, I'll have to remain like this if you don't agree, and... that will surely end terribly." Armin added, his fear slowly creeping back into his mind. Despite his efforts to conceal it, Eren could sense quite well what his true emotions were. "Armin, you're shivering. You don't really want to do this. Please, listen..." Armin sighed, sitting down next to Eren's face, his back turned. "I didn't want to have to become a soldier in order to see the outside world, either." he replied, and looked back over to see that Eren was stunned by his comeback. "Well... That's true." Eren replied, giving in. "I suppose we all have to do things that we would far more like to avoid at times." 

Eren picked him up, rolled over on his back, and gave Armin a small squeeze. "Thank you." he responded, taking a minute or two just to calm down the insecure and somewhat reluctant blonde. A few strokes of a finger seemed to be enough to soothe both their nerves, telling one another all would be well. 

Much fewer words were exchanged this time, for they weren't needed. They now each required something from the other- Eren to have the virus removed, and Armin not to have his life end in Eren's belly- which made it slightly easier. This time, Eren allowed Armin as much time as he he needed, just keeping his hand up near his open mouth until Armin was ready. 

Eren realized that his bottom teeth could be difficult to get over safety, and covered them up with his tongue. He felt Armin slowly clamber onto it, and Eren almost spat him right back out. He didn't taste as sweet as the other time, due to the medical elixir he had covered himself in, which tasted impressively bitter and sour. He had to force himself to allow him the ablility to get inside, despite his taste buds' objection. 

"Are you feeling okay?" Armin asked, then felt like punching himself once he realized what he had said. Of course Eren wasn't okay- that was why he had to go down and attempt to remove the illness! But still, the first time, the tongue wouldn't leave him alone, and it was the exact opposite now. _I must really taste bad, or else this wouldn't be like this. It must be that this medicine has a strong taste that he doesn't like._ Armin thought to himself, feeling somewhat more relieved by this, yet apologetic that the shifter was feeling so weak and pained. "I'm doing alright." Eren responded, his words more slurred than ever before. His tongue was twitching slightly, and Armin could tell by his gasping and grunting that it was a lie. 

He slid over to Eren's cheek and placed a hand on it, as if to say "don't worry." Somehow, for a reason he couldn't explain, Eren made him feel much safer. It wasn't merely at this given time, but whenever he was around him, he felt like no one could hurt him and gave him a somewhat invincible feeling. If Eren died, then he would surely have another stroke of depression, twice as bad as the first. 

As Eren closed his mouth, everything seemed very dark suddenly. There were little patches of light where it was open just enough to let air in, but apart from that it was pitch black. He already had an image of it buried in the dark corners of his mind, though was still curious what it would look like then. He unclipped the flashlight from his belt and was stunned by what he saw.  

The entire surface was covered with what appeared to be sores of some sort, looking somewhat purple in places. Even inside of him, Eren was much paler than before. The coloration looked like a full-color drawing left out in the sun for too long. "Oh, Eren, this sickness really has gotten to you." he sighed sympathetically, peering over the edge at his massive throat. This angle was a little more frightening, since not only could he see it fully without worrying about light, but also the sheer drop it would be if it weren't for the strong muscles lining such a gullet. That, too, looked sore and... blocked. On he right side, he could see something that looked like it had gotten terribly stuck in the muscular tube and wouldn't be able to go down without help. He uncoiled the rope and threw Eren part of it. "Could you please hold onto that for me? I think I know why you're having trouble breathing now. I want to go down just a little bit and get that out of the lining of your throat." Eren made a small noise to show he agreed and Armin felt a tug from behind on it, showing that he had done as instructed. 

The young soldier dug his hands into the object, and began trying to scrape it off. It came off somewhat easily, and didn't take long for him to get the greater part of it off. In fact, he had just about finished it when, from outside, he heard the door open and Eren suddenly let go. Startled, Armin tried to get a grip, but only managed to get the last bit of the unknown object, which tumbled down along with him, until he reached the shifter's stomach. 

"Hey, Eren! I heard that you were sick and I just wanted to check on you." Sasha said, closing the door behind her. Eren was shocked at her arrival, jolted, and accidentally let go, realizing a second too late what that meant. He could feel the panicked soldier knock the rest of the object out of his throat suddenly, which hurt a great deal due to the speed and force. Once his shrunken friend was past that point, he inhaled deeply, and felt more like he was getting the oxygen in his lungs that he needed. This was a great relief to him, but he knew he'd had bigger problems now. Eren winced when he heard the splash that signaled that Armin had fallen into his stomach, but tried to concentrate more on the given situation with Potato Girl. "By the way, have you seen Armin? I thought he just came in here..." 

Eren nodded, slapping his hand onto his stomach, trying to look more sick than he felt. "Armin just gave me some medicine a little while ago." he responded, disguising the fact that the blonde stratigist _was_  in fact that medicine. Somehow she seemed to understand that he was saying "leave me be" as nicely as possible. "Do you know where he went after that? I didn't see him leave." Eren's green eyes opened a little bit wider, hoping that she had no idea of the fact that he had eaten him for a second time. 

Armin was quite shaken by the given situation, staying still for some time to understand what was going on and act accordingly. He was still soaked with now three liquids that refused to come off, no matter how hard he could try- the medicine, saliva, and stomach acid, all three of which did absolutely nothing to him but coat him in a big, sticky mess that felt really odd and uncomfortable. For the few moments, he remained like that, leaning backward slightly with his arms behind him, waiting until Sasha left to say anything. "I have no idea where he went after that. Perhaps he's working on strategizing for the expedition." Eren responded after a moment, the shifter's voice echoing all around him. "If not, maybe someone else from the Corps has seen him?" 

"You know, it's odd that he runs off like this a second time, and you always seem to be the last one to see him before then... anyways, I'll let you get some rest, Eren, and tell everyone else not to walk in on you. I hope you feel better soon." she replied, running out the door and closing it behind her. Eren waited a second until he was certain that she had left to check on him. "Are you okay?" Eren asked, swallowing a little bit of oxygen as he said it. 

Armin heard his compainion's voice echoing around him, and it reminded him of the task at hand. He put a hand on his own heart, just to make sure it was still beating, and gave a small reply. "I'm fi-ow!" A second afterward, something had landed hard on his head, then fallen at his side. As he rubbed the wound, he realized that it was the little red flashlight he had been using earlier. "What was that?!" Eren asked, sounding panicked. Due to the illness, he couldn't tell if the sickening churning of his stomach was harmful or not, and couldn't be sure Armin hadn't been hurt with it. "A flashlight just dropped on my head. I'm fine." Armin responded. "I thought it would be easier if I could see where the virus is coming from." he responded very quietly in fear, clicking it on. 

The first thing he wanted to do when he saw the surrounding walls was to run and hide. The muscles of the stomach looked easily three times as powerful as those lining Eren's throat, and he could tell he wouldn't last long if they began to work on its contents. Slowly dripping with the vile protective slime, and webbed with rugae that were only expanded so much (they didn't need to expand too much, since there were but a few objects inside it), it was a living nightmare. This time around, there weren't the calm, hollow growls and groans, which were replaced with a sort of churning sound that seemed to be threatening to digest any moment. To top it all off, the acid was much higher than earlier, reaching his waist instead of his knees, which also made it even harder to stand up or move around, as if it wasn't bad enough with an injured leg. 

Trembling, he turned off the flashlight. "A-actually, I think I'll just feel around and see if I can locate it." he said after a moment. Eren felt a stab of guilt hearing him- it was obviously pretty awful for him to be that scared. The worst thing about it was that it wasn't like he could truthfully tell Armin nothing was going to happen, because he would have to convince himself of that first. "If you feel like you're in grave danger," Eren started to say, in a voice far calmer than how he felt, "then please absolutely feel free to use the knife and get yourself out of there." 

Armin looked down at the knife on his belt, horrified by this statement. "What?! I'm not going to do that! That was a lie! I only have this with me because it helps me feel better. I mean, I might use it if I have to, but... not like you just said... That would completely defeat any purpose of this, anyways! What would happen then? Would you ever get the help you needed, or die of the wound?" "Tch- that would be such a tiny incision. If I could survive being inside a Titan with only one arm and leg, then I can definitely put up with a mimimal ulcer." Eren scoffed. "I'd rather know you're okay, anyways." he added, swiping a finger over the left side of his chest. 

"You seem like you're breathing normally again." Armin said as he felt around inside Eren's belly, trying to change the subject. "Yeah- you fixed that. I think it was that goddamn thing that got lodged in my throat. What was that, anyways?" The soldier cleared off the mucus off of part of the lining, and managed to get the courage to turn on the flashlight again to see if there was something on it. "I have no idea, I didn't get to see it closely before you ate me... Yep, your stomach is surely infected. What the hell even did this?!" he growled, silently cursing the illness as fully as possible as he saw the mass of sores on the internal lining, which seemed to start to heal within contact. "At least this medication really does work." he mumbled, then turned to look up at the sphincter. "Are you feeling any better?" 

He could feel his ill friend press a hand up against the organ, trying to massage the anxious tension out of him. "Much better." His voice was much clearer and his breathing back to normal, as well as at least his internal coloration. "I think you might've been right about this after all." Eren sighed in relief, then rolled over onto his left side, causing Armin to slam against the wall behind him. 

"Eren, what are you doing?" he asked the seemingly enormous "suicidal bastard." Eren sat up a little. "I'm just shifting my position. Sorry." he responded in his normal tone. Armin wrapped himself up in the muscles of Eren's quietly gurgling gut, not caring anymore how deeply drenched he was in the slime- it was no help wiping it off, anyways. "You're fine, Eren. I'm just making sure that you're recovering. There's just one part about this that bothers me." he replied, pushing back his sand-colored locks with his left hand, trying to think of how it could be answered. Eren felt like there was a boulder in his chest, somehow thinking he knew where this was going, but letting Armin speak first. "What would that be?" Around him, Armin could hear the noises of the acid growing louder and louder. "If I'm supposed to be inside here to spread the medication and make sure that it works correctly, then what happens... after that?" he asked, suddenly feeling the walls push inward quickly, and suddenly having a major rush of fear. 

"Eren, are you, by any chance, putting a lot of pressure on your stomach all of a sudden?" Armin squeaked hopefully. "I'm not. Why?" If there hadn't been a wall of muscles between them, they would've stared directly into the other's eyes with the same horror. Their heartbeats accelerated at the same time in incredulous but very real mortal terror. "Armin, listen to me- do you actually feel like you're getting burned?" he asked, panicked and feeling completely helpless in working out anything useful. 

Armin was still very nervous about what he might see when he looked, but when Eren mentioned it, he realized that it didn't actually sting. Feeling somewhat plucky, he squinted and looked down. It was true- it didn't really seem to be hurting beyond the place where he had stabbed himself in the leg, yet it still was unnerving to feel Eren's stomach churning around him all the same. But what was it really after? It didn't take him long to discover it, because the little acid that had made its way up onto his wrists was slowly eating away at his sleeves, targeting the golden droplets of the antidote. "It's not actually hurting me. It's much more interested in medicine." he replied, becoming more relaxed. He could hear Eren let out a massive sigh of relief. "You really scared me. This is exactly why I didn't want to let you do this." 

"I didn't want to, either. I was out of ideas. The thought came to me since it had cured my own problem, so I thought that perhaps it would work with something else. It was a stupid idea, I know, and a dangerous one- I highly doubt anyone can think everything out well. But even as messed up as this has been, I'm still glad I took the risk." Armin responded, curling up tightly into a ball, shivering and wiping away his tears as best he could. 

Eren couldn't really argue with him there- it had indeed worked. But with the successful plan also came great sacrifice for the shrunken cadet. "I'm sorry... this is hurting you way too much, please don't try to do this again." It didn't help that the more he though about it, the more he realized that his own experiences of being devoured somewhat fit this situation, apart from the fact that, with the bearded Titan, there had been no comfort or reassurrance apart from the fact that Armin was alive due to his exchanging places with him. The fact remained the same no matter how it was viewed- they both had sacrificed themselves to be eaten for the other's well-being. That was really terrifying to think about, and made him all the more nauseous, but in some ways it also meant that they could relate to the same feeling of dread, which had its own sort of symbolic purpose. It made Eren feel deeply empathetic for his companion at the moment, waiting for the moment that Armin would answer him just to show he was alive. 

The acid began to subside, finished with extracting the medication from the trapped human's clothing. This lifted a huge weight off of Armin as he knew that it had completely lost interest in assaulting him, and decided instead to look at how near gone the virus was. Still wary, he clicked on the flashlight another time. Eren's stomach looked much better than before- the sores had left and there was none of the nauseated churning left. Just one more check of the surroundings proved that it had been healed up entirely. Good- the entire plan hadn't failed. It was true that this would make him incredibly wary for some time later, though his foolish loyalty had at least meant something. But then, there would be a lot of explaining to do with the corps... He decided to see if the acid had actually hurt him and he just didn't feel it yet. It miraculously hadn't done anything, but wait- he then saw what had taken it so long to clear up. Covered in heavy threads of saliva, the surface of his jacket had large holes in it, and the lower part of it had been frayed. The sleeves had almost completely burned off in the process. "It's not your fault that you got sick. It could've happened to anyone. Although, once I'm out of here, could you do me a favor?" 

Eren was a little bit confused by this, but responded to the question. "Of course- what is it?" "Could I borrow your jacket until I get a new one, so no one asks questions?" 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"Oh god- you weren't kidding." Eren said after a few minutes of Armin being back to normal, inspecting the damage that had been done, and seeing the dozens of holes in the jacket. "There's no way to explain it apart from caustic liquids, either- those aren't even able to feign teeth or rip marks. I suppose you're right. You can use mine until you get another one." Eren smacked himself in the head. "I'm sorry... At least that explains what happened in those few minutes of hell." Eren mumbled, feeling deeply guilty. "It's my fault- I didn't think it through well enough. I thought that the injection would... protect me, just as before. I suppose it did still, but I expected it to come off on contact, not remain to stick to me. I think it may have been a bad idea to pour it on myself, and should've kept it in the bottle until it was needed. I'm just glad that's the only thing that happened." Armin sighed, shaking his head, then looking back up at Eren. "At least you're well again." 

"Apart from nearly getting a heart attack as well as some serious mental/emotional scars?" Eren scoffed. "Because other than that, I suppose you're right. Perhaps I should've put more trust in you. Though seriously- scratch last week, this was the worst experience I've ever had." he added  teeth clenched. "Every waiting second I was dreading the moment I'd become your unintentional murderer." he shuddered violently, wiping away the saliva. "How do you even go through getting covered with this stuff?! Doesn't that gross you out?" Eren asked, somewhat disgusted. 

"Now that you mention it, it does, but typically I'm too focused on other things to notice." he admitted. "I should probably wash this stuff off." Eren raised an eyebrow. "By the way, does Mikasa actually know that you decided to commit to your risky plan just now?" "I sort of... went earlier than I planned to in the beginning because I wanted it to be over with and forgot to tell her." Armin confessed. Eren sighed in disbelief. "She's not going to be happy about that. Brace yourself."


End file.
